Received This Message? Don't Click the Link!

Stop- don't click the link if you received this message.

Author:
Hope Ford

Published:
12:28 PM EDT September 13, 2017

Updated:
12:28 PM EDT September 13, 2017

GREENSBORO, NC - Know the story of the genie lamp? You know, you rub it, little genie pops out and you get three wishes? We all know it's not real but sometimes we're willing to believe the smoke will clear and a stack of money will be waiting for us.

My producer received a message on her cell phone recently. It reads, 'Hey Barbara, you're now wholly suitable for an adv (sic) of USD 835 that initially you were not. To avail, (sic) go to (sic)' and then there's link to click on attached to the message.

So many problems with this text. First, my producer's name is Monique, not Barbara. The wording of the message is also weird; abbreviations, no dollar sign for the amount and odd grammar usage. Then there's the link which says 'kohli.tech' at the bottom. A quick search on Google showed there's no sweepstakes, giveaway or company associated with the link.

We also called the number associated with the message my producer received. It has a Charlotte area code, and rang several times before we got a dial tone. So, it seems pretty clear this is a bogus message.

Lechelle Yates with Greensboro's Better Business Bureau confirmed it.

"Nobody is just going to message you and tell you you've won an award or you've got a grant or you've got free money. I wish it did work that way but it just doesn't."